


Changes

by orphan_account



Series: Eventide [1]
Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: 1st chapter is SFW, 2nd chapter is absolutely not, F/M, Jim figures out exactly what everything means, Mild Bloodlust, Mild Dysphoria, Post Season 3, Season 3 Spoilers, in depth, self exploration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 03:42:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14824604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Jim figures all changes were on the surface. How very wrong he was.





	1. Sunrise

It was the first real shock Jim has had in a solid week. He stood by himself, his brain full of static. A week ago, he had thought that the hardest thing to deal with were his new instincts and mannerisms.

It didn't help that he was so far from home, regardless of the friends-  _ family _ , that he had with him on their way to New Jersey. Jim's heart ached for Arcadia even before he set one foot in the opposite direction of his childhood home. Traces of sadness lingered in his smiles, and as much as he tried to hide it he knew he couldn’t fool Claire and Blinky. Thankfully, they supported him silently. Jim felt grateful to have both of them.

Especially when a week ago, while the traveling trolls and human had stopped to rest somewhere in New Mexico just before the sun was starting to rise. Blinky had approached Jim as he was helping a family settle in for the day to come. Tunnels had been dug into temporary dens, as a place to rest until next nightfall. The desert didn’t offer many mountainsides or natural formations for them to gather shade in, so something had to be done to keep all the trolls safe from the sun. Jim was just exiting one of the tunnels as Blinky came closer.

“Master Jim, my boy, if it is an appropriate time may we take a stroll?” Blinky’s hooked staff jingled with his arrival, and Jim smiled at his father figure. 

“Sure, no problem.” He waved to the trolls he was assisting and took his place by Blinky’s side. Jim’s face immediately fell with worry. “Everything is alright, right? Is Claire okay?” 

“Claire is unharmed, and has been very helpful as she always is,” Blinky smiled at Jim’s behavior, as he scanned and subconsciously scented for her. “Come, we have some things to discuss before sun rises.”

As they walked the dry landscape, Jim pulled a face of confusion. “If nothing is wrong…?”

“Not wrong, necessarily, Master Jim. But I fear that there is still some inner turmoil that you are quarreling against.” At this Blinky tapped a single fist against Jim’s armor. It clanked in protest.

Jim’s ears tilted in the small amount they were able. He could feel them lower, and his mood plummeted. “Oh.”

“Indeed.” Blinky said, in his warm and worried way when it came to Jim. “I wanted to take some time with you privately, to help you understand. Though it seems you are the first of your kind, uniquely so, we share many similarities that I may be able to assist you with. To...help, with feeling accustomed in your own skin, if you will.”

Blinky set one of his right hands on Jim’s left shoulder, the other right hand bracing Jim’s armored back. Jim closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. It was only half true, his head and body were so busy getting the trolls to the new Heartstone, along with making sure they were safe and fed. Before that, his sole purpose was to put an end to Gunmar, the GumGums, and Morgana. But in the small, quiet moments when he had too much time to think…

Like now. Though Blinky was physically right beside him, the quiet space around him felt like electricity, and Jim’s anxiety caught up with him. Jim had so many trolls he considered family. He would never feel that they were frightening, or ugly, or anything but the kind people he’d grown to love and care about. But a reluctant, crooning whine tore from his throat without his will, and he couldn’t help but think that his own body and mind weren’t  _ his _ .

Without missing a beat, Blinky wrapped his right arms around Jim’s still smaller form and squeezed. Releasing Jim after a second, Blinky still kept one hand on Jim’s shoulder to ground him.

“I have hope that in time you will come to be comfortable, even happy, with yourself. Please allow me to help you on your path to self reflection in any way I can.”

Jim covered his face with his hands. After a moment, he slid them to his sides and sighed heavily.

“I don’t even know where to start Blinky, I don’t even know what to  _ say _ . I’m doing things that feel natural, but at the same time they’re so unnatural from how I used to be that I just feel…”

Blinky, for once, was silent instead of offering his plethora of synonyms. Jim sighed again, and breathed in deeply. 

“I feel so full that I feel like I’m going to explode. I feel too much; too angry, too sad, too- too- I don’t know. I’m so afraid I’m going to hurt her.”

The last sentence struggled in Jim’s throat, ending in a near whisper. There was a pause, before Jim heard Blinky speak again, softly.

“You are afraid you will hurt Claire. It is perfectly understandable given your newfound strength. However the thought is entirely unnecessary, Master Jim.”

“Yeah, I- wha?” Jim felt his jaw slacken in confusion. He struggled with his words out loud and moved his hands rapidly in the air as if they would create words for him. “Blinky, she’s so, so,  _ soft _ , and-“

Blinky interrupted him with laughter. “How do you think we felt when  _ you _ were originally chosen for our Trollhunter? Hmm? But you proved to us time and time again that the amulet was not mistaken. I feel that it would be an injustice to consider Claire not strong in her own right, even though I completely understand your concern in her safety when you are both ensuing acts of intimacy-“

“Blinky!” Jim yelled a little too loudly as he grabbed the sides of his head. His legs moved for him as he began to pace. “I cannot believe you think we’re- Claire and I aren’t- not yet-“

“Oh! Goodness gracious of course not, why I only meant-” 

Jim heard blinky fumble with his own words, and he would have laughed at his antics if he weren’t feeling so flustered as well. They were now both trying to dance around a subject that neither wanted to speak about. Blinky cleared his throat. 

“Jim, I understand that your mother is a human doctor and you probably had a fair share of medical books around-“

“That doesn’t mean I ever looked at them!” Jim protested, his voice reaching a higher pitch than normal.

“-I believe that, with your new anatomical change, you will have new instincts that you should understand are  _ normal _ .” 

Jim barely heard him as he paced, his now burning ears half heartedly covered by his hands. His wild pacing was halted and he was suddenly facing Blinky, who had set his staff down and gripped Jim’s shoulders with all four of his own. 

“I have come to understand, in my very short time amongst and near humans, that it is not considered typical to speak to their young about growth within themselves,” Blinky’s hold on Jim’s arms and shoulders softened, but he still held the half troll in front of him. “And while it is not uncommon for trolls to research about certain subjects before anyone can educate them, you are so new to our world that there are things that you haven’t had a chance to live with that are no more unordinary than rocks being found in caves.

“From your growls, to your sense of smell, to your tastes, to scenting for Claire. Don’t look at me like that, you know you do it.” 

Jim’s face had become scrunched. It was true, he didn’t know exactly  _ what  _ he was doing, or what it was called, but he did know his instincts gave him a way to find Claire immediately. Her scent was warm in his nose and throat, like drinking freshly brewed tea with lemons and honey. It was incredibly soothing. Thinking about it, and her, made him feel slightly calmer. 

De-scrunching his face, Jim stood silently and played with the edge of one of his horns. While it was true that he wasn’t entirely afraid he would physically hurt Claire, and though she always made it a point to reassure him that she loved him no matter what form he took, he was so scared that he would drive her away with these new… _ instincts _ and  _ feelings _ that he couldn’t even explain to himself.

As if hearing his thoughts, Blinky patted Jim’s arm and said, “You are worried she won’t understand and will miss what you used to be.”

Jim’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Blinky, however just smiled warmly down at him. “It is only natural to fear that the ones we hold closest, the ones we love most, will leave us for elements that are out of our control. However, knowledge is a powerful tool that will dismiss worries, help the lost, and encourage the downtrodden. I know that once you both understand what is now your very personal ‘normal’, then you will both be better equipped for the future and everything it has to bring along with it.”

Jim blinked rapidly and stared at the troll across from him. He inhaled deeply, and held it. Then, slowly, he let it go. Jim imagined his breath carried dark thoughts from him as he exhaled. Blinky was right, he usually was. It wouldn’t do him or Claire any good if he didn’t try to progress forward. This was who he was now, and he would have to understand what that meant if things were going to get better.

Jim let one last breath go and smiled up at Blinky, who returned the expression. 

“Thank you Blinky, I think I’d like to-”

Out of place, a loud ringing split the silent air followed by a flash of light. A force flung itself seemingly out of nowhere straight at Jim’s chest. With a startled yelp, he landed onto the desert floor before either he or Blinky could react.

“Master Jim, are you alright- great grumbling gazooks!”

Jim picked up his head hesitantly, and immediately remarked that he felt different...Lighter. He picked himself up and rolled forward and something slid off of his chest. Looking down, he understood Blinky’s expression of surprise. Lying on the ground was the Amulet of Daylight, innocently, as if it hadn’t spent days on his chest trapping him in armor.

Worried that he would somehow be naked, Jim’s hands patted his body and found that he was wearing his old sweater and jeans. Unfortunately, due to his new size, both were very much ripped. Nevermind his shoes, which were left in tatters on the ground. Thank goodness Claire and his mother had more insight than he did, there was a fresh bag of clothes (clothes that would actually fit him) waiting for him at their makeshift campsite.

Jim stood and picked up the Amulet with one hand and turned to Blinky. It was the best he had felt in days, and didn’t realize how beat up he had felt until just then. A wide smile, fangs and all, broke from his face.

“Thank you, Blinky. For- you know. Being there when I don’t even know I need it.”

Blinky rapped his knuckles on Jim again, this time with no resounding clank. “We all need to be reminded that things will turn out to be fine every once in a while. I figured that your turn was coming soon. Now, we best be getting back before the sun beats us to the encampment, shall we? We can walk and talk at the same time, no use in staying out here any longer than we have to.”

On their short walk back, Blinky did go over some things with Jim that were normal everyday behavior for trollkind. Troll hunger, troll anger, troll territorial instincts. Some of these things Jim remembered he knew, but it was very different experiencing it from the outside than experiencing it as the half-troll he was now. Scenting was something that Blinky explained was meant for specific people. Family, usually, or eventual life partners. Jim could feel his face warm at the implication, but smiled regardless.

Just as Blinky was going to continue, Jim inhaled roughly. His nose had caught on a smell that he knew. He dropped his tongue from the roof of his mouth and expanded his glands to take it in. The familiar, warm feeling that was  _ Claire _ instantly flooded inside him. He turned in her direction before he heard her coming. Claire jogged up to them with a worried expression.

“ _ There _ you two are, I was starting to get really worried you were stuck somewhere or something- ohmygosh! Jim!” She gestured to all of him.” Your armor, did it- just now?!”

Jim couldn't help it, he felt physically and emotionally lighter than he had in awhile. Laughter bubbled up from his chest and his arms surrounded Claire's middle. She cried out in surprise as Jim swung her in a circle and stopped to hold her tight. 

_ Not too tight _ , he remembered as he held his girlfriend to him. Claire laughed at his antics while hugging him tightly back. His chest and throat rumbled but he couldn't care with Claire where he felt she fit best. 

“Okay, I know you're happy, and I'm very happy you're happy Jim. But can we  _ both _ be happy on the ground?” Claire joked. 

“Oh, woops,” Jim laughed. “I forget how tall I am now.”

“I'm not even sure how,” Claire smiled up at him and his heart swelled. “Seriously, though, why don't we get you some new and better fitting clothes  _ incredible hulk.” _

She tugged on the remains of his sweater, thank goodness his pants still covered enough of him. 

“Oh! Uh, yeah! Good idea.”

The sound of a throat clearing made both teenagers jump. They bashfully remembered they weren't alone. 

“It would be wise that we head back regardless, as the sun is beginning to make its way above the horizon.”

It was true, Jim saw that the sky was turning pink at the edges of the horizon. He found he actually  _ was _ pretty tired, and was looking forward to sleeping for a couple hours. 

Claire waved dismissively. “You guys go on, I'm going to check something out and do some chores out here.”

“Stay safe,” Jim moved forward and bent down to kiss Claire’s brow, and settled his forehead against hers for a moment. He inhaled deeply as he parted from her.

Claire looked at him with a funny smile, “You know I will. Go change and get some sleep.”

Jim nodded and yawned aloud. He and Blinky turned toward the makeshift caves to find their own. The wildlife accustomed to the day was starting to wake, and the duo made it into their sleeping cave just before the sun peeked into the sky. Jim made his way to the bag that contained his new clothes and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt. He couldn’t, however, help but hear Blinky grumbling under his breath.

Furrowing his brow, still crouched in front of his belongings, he turned to look over his shoulder to find the grumbling troll looking at the burlap bags he had brought with him. 

Before leaving, the trolls of Troll Market had visited their old home one last time to gather what they could find, undestroyed, and bring it with them. Blinky was looking through such belongings now. With four arms, he was able to carry bags full of what books he could find in Troll Market, regardless of his own being burned to dust, along with some things left over by Vendel.

Without disturbing Blinky from his search, Jim kept his eyes on him while he quickly undressed to just as quickly dress into his new clothes.

“So uh, Blinky? You doin’ okay over there?”

“Not to worry, master Jim,” Blinky picked up an entire stack of books and then looking at them one by one before tossing them away in disgust. Jim was just maneuvering his shirt over his horns as Blinky completely upended another one of his bags and gasped aloud.

“What? What were you trying to find?” The suspense made Jim excited, though he had no idea what was going on.

Blinky brought his upper hands together to cup something gently, as if it would break if he moved too quickly.

“I did not find what I was looking for, but this is much more precious than what I had intended to find.” Blinky turned toward a newly dressed Jim, though his focus was on the circular item in his possession. 

Jim squinted his eyes as he studied it for a moment, and his own gasp was heard as he realized what it was. Turning his wide eyes to Blinky’s own six, his mouth gaped in disbelief. 

“Blinky, is that-“

The older troll looked like he was going to shed a tear. “Vendel has come through for us a final time. If I am correct with my assumptions, this canister should hold the other stones to power your Amulet, including the stone that will allow you to walk in daylight.”

Jim was shocked, this solved one of his biggest problems. The timing was ideal, since the amulet was now whole and removed from his being. He could use it tomorrow if he wanted. Wiping his face to prevent himself from overflowing from emotions, as he was having a hard time with lately as a side effect from becoming half troll, he chuckled half heartedly.

“I told Vendel that I would pass on that stone last time. Guess he was right about suggesting it afterall.”

“Hm, hm, quite right. Well, I do believe that it is beyond our individual bed times and suggest we ‘shift the hay’, as humans say. I’ll find The Book of Trollish Anatomy tomorrow evening.”

Jim snorted loudly, “It’s ‘hit the hay’, Blinky. Why were you looking for that book?”

“Why would you  _ hit _ hay? Would you not want to shift the hay to be more comfortable sleeping on it? Humans, pah,” Blinky settled down around his now mountain of disorganized books, blankets, and personal items to get comfortable for sleep. “I was looking for that book for you, Jim. I figured that, if you were uncomfortable with my person informing you upon Troll anatomy, I would find another way to get that information to you. We won’t know how similar you are physically to full trolls until you figure it out, but I did want you to at least be prepared.”

“I- Thank you, Blinky.”

“Of course, master Jim. Have a pleasant sleep, I will speak to you again when the night falls.” Blinky spoke through a yawn and became quiet. 

Jim sat against the dirt walls of the faux cavern and reflected. He was very lucky, indeed, to have so many people in his life who cared for him. Even those who weren’t around anymore, Jim thought sadly. Draal would have been a wonderful addition to their party to New Jersey. He missed him very much, he knew they all did. Jim vowed to keep Draal in his thoughts, especially while training, to honor him in the only way he knew how.

A sudden thought popped in Jim’s head, and he turned his head, panicking, in Blinky’s direction. “Wait,  _ what _ about troll anatomy is different than human anatomy?”

Jim waited for a response, and only got a loud snore in return. He sighed and got comfortable himself. His worries could wait until tomorrow, when Blinky found the book and he could see for himself that there was nothing to worry about.

Jim’s breathing evened out as sleep overcame him, not knowing how incredibly wrong he was.


	2. Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the horny chapter. If you are a minor, you are not permitted to read this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, thank you so much for reading. For an ace I really like writing explicit stuff, but I guess the differenciation is monster dicks.

Claire was just as ecstatic to learn about the found power stones for the Amulet of Daylight, and was near tears when she found out about it. Granted, she tried to beat Jim into a pulp when he thought the best way to show her was to step into the direct sunlight and got the fright of her life. In the end, everything worked out. 

“ _ Ow _ ,” Claire rubbed her knuckles, which were lightly bruised from her retaliation on Jim the other day. She shook her hand roughly, as if the motion would help her cells heal her faster.

“Tch,” Jim clicked his tongue behind his teeth. He pulled Claire’s roughly handled palm and gently kissed the darkened knuckles. “You shouldn’t hit your troll boyfriend so hard.”

“Yeah,  _ half _ troll boyfriend.” Claire kissed Jim’s cheek in return, not taking her hand back just yet. “I just thought, I don’t know, you wouldn’t be as solid as other trolls. I learned something, this is just the remainder of that lesson.”

The traveling trolls (and Claire) were now somewhere in the middle of Texas. Traveling had taken a toll on everyone, everyone wanted to be in their new home, and didn’t quite realize how far they would have to go to reach the new Heartstone without a Gyre station to take them there. Making sure that the troll citizens were fed, sheltered, and happy was a task Jim and company would have to deal with as the nights came. However, everyone’s spirits were lifted when they had come upon the series of caves near the central Texas woods. It felt a lot more welcoming to the trolls, and there were small towns nearby. This unfortunately meant that some cats went missing until Jim and Claire had a talk with them about “disturbing the local ecosystems”.

Due to Jim’s new daylight stone, he was also able to help Claire out quite a bit in some hours of the day when he wasn’t getting some shut eye. Today they were looking for something in particular, upon Claire’s insistence and Jim’s agreement if not for themselves and no one else. A place to take an actual bath. None of the trolls seemed to understand the need to bathe in  _ water _ , but Jim and Claire weren’t going to try and win over any trolls to human sanitary practices.

Jim’s armor rattled softly with each step he took, and he breathed in happily as he walked through the sun dappled woods with Claire. He was reluctant to accept the night as his new daytime hours, but was ready to learn to accept it. He didn’t need to admit to Blinky that he was extremely relieved about finding the stone, and he thought Blinky was happy for him too. 

As he looked left and right, at the trees and grass bathed in sunlight, he knew he could never live without it if he could help it. The one thing about his humanity that he longed for was the ability to go out in both night and day. Jim looked at Claire in front of him and grinned. He was glad to be able to share the day with her again.

Claire was walking ahead of Jim by a meter or so, and he took the time to look at her in the sunshine. Her hair was getting longer without scissors to cut it. Merlin offered to trim her hair in an unconventional manner. Claire had declined, politely, regardless of feeling very uneasy about the offer. He never mentioned by what means he would actually go about cutting her hair. 

Thankfully he kept to himself for most of the trip, which meant that Jim and Claire could be alone as they were now.

Jim was so deep in thought he nearly walked right into his girlfriend, who had stopped completely. Putting on the brakes, Jim felt his body pitch forward as he willed his legs to stop moving and stiffened himself as to not completely bowl Claire over. Which resulted in him falling over on his side with a soft “oof”.

“Oh, Jim, look! It’s so- Jim,” Claire looked down at him in disbelief as he made himself temporarily comfortable on the soft ground. “What are you doing?”

Clearing his throat, Jim got to his feet quick as a whip. “No, nothing. Don’t worry about it. What were you saying?”

“Yeah, okay.” Claire looked at him coyly, “Come take a look, I think I found our ‘bathtub’.”

Jim put his armored hand on Claire’s shoulder as he looked ahead of her. His eyebrows raised in surprise as his eyes came upon a stream swell. Water lazily entered into a large, oblong pool, continuing its way into a nearby rockface. It worked, certainly, and the water was running so it must be clean enough to at least wash in. However…

“It’s kind of...Out in the open, isn’t it?” Jim worried. He knew it should be the last thing on his mind, but there  _ were _ human civilians at least 50 miles out. Who knows who could decide they’d  _ also _ like to take a nice walk in the middle of the woods. “Anyone could sneak up on you while you’re trying to privately...bathe.”

“That’s a valid point. Hm,” Jim watched as Claire visibly thought about his concern. “Well, my best idea off hand is that we can keep a lookout for each other. Jim, don’t scrunch your face, we can keep our distance while still keeping a lookout.”

Jim had, indeed, scrunched up his face. His relationship with Claire was still intensely new, and he still didn’t trust particular feelings of his now that they were amped to a thousand. However, nothing stopped him from being a gentleman, and he would certainly feel more comfortable knowing that he could make sure Claire wouldn’t have to worry.

“O...okay. Yeah, I think you’re right and it’s the best idea. You do know that we’re going to have to come at night, right?” Jim brought up the only other problem with this plan.

“What, why would we- Oh, duh.” Claire slapped a palm to her forehead, “No armor, no daylight stone. So that’s fine! We can come at dusk so that the water isn’t completely cool, no problem.”

Jim took that to mean that Claire was completely set on the idea. Honestly, he was excited about the idea of bathing. He didn’t know if he needed to do it as often as he used to have to, but just imagining the simple ritual of having a  _ bath _ was incredibly nice in a very normal way.

“Okay, deal. Let’s go back to camp to gather some things and come back for sunset.” Jim offered his arm to Claire, “My lady.”

“Pfffft,” Claire exaggerated the action of taking his arm as a “Lady” would. “My good Trollhunter, please escort me to thy yonder caves so I may gather dry undergarments.”

Dropping his facade, Jim spluttered. “Claire!”

His girlfriend’s only response was barking laughter.

++++++

A few hours later saw Jim and Claire returned to the pool of water with respective bags of clean clothes. They figured that while they wash themselves, they may as well wash the clothes they were wearing too. They had both agreed that Claire would take her turn first while the sun was still out and Jim could still wear his armor until the sun started to set. 

Jim settled in a tree some 20 yards away. Enough for privacy, but definitely close enough to make sure nothing and no one stumbled upon his girlfriend who was-

Bathing. Cleaning her clothes. That's what he was going to think. Absolutely.

Now that he was out here, doing nothing, he realized it was too late to ask Blinky for a book to read while he waited around for nightfall. He took his time observing the types of broadleaf trees in the forest around him, as well as the animals that lived in the area. So far he heard and saw a total of 4 different songbirds, 2 finches, some grey foxes, and he saw several deer in a herd as well. He would have to come back out here to hunt for Claire, she couldn’t survive on her rations forever. Would she even like deer? He’d have to ask her.

A shout of surprise came from Claire’s direction and Jim’s instincts skyrocketed to one place: Protect. He leapt from where he was straight to the source of the noise. Catching himself in time, Jim stopped at a respectable distance with his back turned and he called out.

“Claire, you okay?”

A sigh of frustration was heard. That was a good sign. 

“Yeah, I’m just really dumb. I cut my hand on a really sharp rock. I’d tell you to watch out when you get in here, but I think you’ll be okay. Jeez, I can’t believe it’s actually bleeding,” Claire cut off with a short laugh.

Exhaling a breath he didn’t know he was holding onto, Jim relaxed the tense muscles in his body. “Gosh, Claire, you’re so graceful. You should try out for ballet or something.”

Claire’s voice carried a response, but Jim didn’t register it. Instead, something else assaulted his nose. Spicy, rich,  _ iron laden _ .

It was Claire’s blood.

Jim’s body buzzed and he struggled to handle this information. The more panicked he got, the more breaths he took, which meant that the wonderful, incredible, scent was picked up again, and again, and again-

“Jim! You’re scaring me, are you okay?”

Jim snapped from his trance in horror. Shakily he answered Claire with a positive, he hoped it sounded that way.

“Ye-yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I saw...A deer. I think. I’m going to go check it out, you take your time.”

“O...kay, if you’re sure!” Claire’s voice sounded uncertain but resolute.

“Mmhm, yep! Just, holler when you’re done!” Jim was gone in an instant, and if Claire said anything else he didn’t know. He just knew he needed to make distance immediately. Fresh air, clean air. No blood to be found here, no warm, metallic-

Stop. Jim took deep breaths, trying to shake this hot and foreboding feeling from his body. His ears rang, and he could feel his half human blood pumping in his ears, throughout his body.

Desperate to clear his head, Jim lowered his head at the nearest tree and charged. His horns clacked on the bark and the tree’s leaves rattled as if in apparent surprise. Jim swung his head repeatedly at the poor tree for what seemed like an age. 

Finally, finally he was starting to calm down. Panting, Jim stepped back from the tree that stood no chance. Cracks, breaks, and gouges were apparent even in the fading light. Jim already felt guilty about doing it, but was grateful he was returning back to normal.

Horror dawned on him again and he thought about what he had just done and why. Shame burned sharply in him and he rubbed his face. Another monstrous thing he had to get used to apparently. Maybe Blinky knew how to fix it, so he wouldn’t feel so, so…

“Jim? Hello? Jim! Where on earth-“ Claire was making her way through the woods trying to find him. Jim’s shame burned hotter. She couldn’t know, God she couldn’t know.

Clearing his throat and stepping in her direction, Jim called out to Claire. “Yeah, yeah, I’m over here!”

Her movement halted as she heard him, and he assumed she was now making her way toward him. Soon enough they found each other around a group of bushes and shrubs, Claire’s still damp hair hanging heavily against her face and back, the white streak as stark as ever. She held her belongings as well as the staff she had been working on in the past few days.

She stopped in front of Jim with a short huff. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Jim nodded, his eyes flicking from her eyes to the now clean cut on her hand, and back again. He pretended he couldn’t still smell traces of fresh blood on her. 

“Smart, actually bringing something to do,” Jim gestured to the half carved staff that Claire had in her right hand to change the subject. “I had wished I brought a book or something...Anything.”

Claire’s face cleared it’s concerned expression and she chuckled in disbelief. 

“Is that why you were chasing deer? Gosh, Jim.”

He cracked a smile too, regardless of the negative feelings still inside of him. “Wait until I tell you about the baby ones, and the little foxes too.”

“Awe, unfair! We should go animal watching or something next time.” Claire threw something at him and it wasn’t until he caught it that he realized she brought his burlap bag to him. “I know it’s still light out, but the sun should be pretty low for you to be able to get clean.”

“Thanks Claire.” He didn’t look at her this time. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

Without another word, Jim took a leap toward the pool of water, leaving a puzzled and worried Claire. He knew she was wearing that determined expression on her face, he could imagine it.

Shaking the thought out of his head, Jim settled his things away enough from the pool that they wouldn’t get wet or muddied. Like Claire said, there was plenty of shade now, and he willed his amulet off of his body. With a flash, the armor faded into the Void once more and Jim caught the amulet before it fell. Carefully put it away, he took his shirt off with mild difficulty. Thankfully, that was the harder part. Jim put his thumbs into his waistband and pulled his pants down over his hips-

Jim stood by himself, his brain full of static. His head was reeling. He was so shocked he didn’t know or understand how he should even react to what he was seeing. Looking down, he wondered if he could be wrong. Was the twilight playing tricks on him?

He was wearing underwear, however, where there should have been an obvious bulge there was nothing. It was absolutely flat. 

Blinking skyward, to clear his eyes, Jim willed his vision to regulate, or...whatever. Holding his breath, he looked down again. 

Still flat.

“What.” Jim’s voice was also, coincidentally, flat.

“Okay, Jim,” he said to himself, “It could still be nothing, maybe you’re just really screwed up from whatever episode you just had with the, with Claire’s-. Yeah. Just. Look. Okay.”

With one fast and fluid motion, Jim pulled his underwear down as well. 

In hindsight, it wasn’t as flat as a board. A mound curved up creating an almost unnoticeable soft point where his penis was. Where it still  _ should be _ .

He was actually beginning to panic now. His breaths became quick and shallow as he began to hyperventilate. A noise caught in his throat as he realized his first instinct was to call for Claire. 

_ She couldn’t know, what would she say, what would she- _

A clicking and whirring noise sounded from his burlap bag and he immediately forced his body to calm down. Jim’s eyes locked on the place he knew the amulet was. It was sensing his distress, and damn it if he was going to be in the armor for days at a time again.

Taking deep, albeit very shaky, breaths Jim stepped out of his undergarments and pants completely and set to thinking.

How could he have not noticed this? How could he miss this?

Blinky had told him he wouldn’t have to use the bathroom as often as humans usually do. Though his digestive system wouldn’t be identical to a trolls, it would still be more efficient than a human’s. He hadn’t had to use the bathroom, Jim realized, in some time. He had also been wearing the same clothes that he originally changed into after the Amulet of Daylight released him. His eyes never left Blinky’s form when he blindly changed.

All this time and he had no idea the he had, had…

Had what?

Jim’s right hand pressed against his temples, ruffled his hair and ran over his horns. A nervous habit he picked up pretty much a soon as they sprouted. There was only one way to know.

His right hand hovered over his- whatever it was now, and he forced his hand to actually make contact. He felt the pressure of his own hand against his tough skin, and it felt like it had been this way since he was born. Taking a breath, Jim moved his hand southward, feeling for anything he couldn’t see. 

There was, in fact, something after all. Jim felt with his middle finger the center of a line. He followed it up, and down again. His eyes looked at nothing in particular while he tried to figure out what it was, exactly, that he was feeling. His curiosity was masking the very subtle pleasure his body was receiving from the motion.

On his fourth feel up, Jim’s fingers bumped against something new. The sensation was familiar, but it still sucked the breath out of him. Focusing now, Jim looked down to find a very mauve point where there was nothing before. Instantly curious, though cautious, Jim put pressure on it again. 

Gasping loudly, Jim slapped his other hand over his mouth. Holy hell, it was sensitive! Tentatively, he nudged the underside of the pinkish obstacle, breathing heavily behind his left hand. What happened next he absolutely did  _ not _ expect at  _ all _ .

The jutting point lengthened, and lengthened, and slid out of him and into his hand until it was about the size of his palm.

The good news was, he still had a penis. The other news, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about this, was that it wasn’t remotely ANYTHING like it had been before. 

Jim sat down roughly against a stone that was large enough to lean on. He stared at the appearance of his new genitalia, trying to take in its shape and color. The shape was very tapered, though it grew thick in the middle. A curve like a subtle “S” followed it’s length. It’s entire color ranged from mauve, to pink, to purple, to shades of indigo. If it wasn’t his own penis he was looking at, which he assumed that’s what it was, he would have said the colors were really nice. However, that was the last thing that would have popped in his head.

His actual current thought was:  _ Now what? _

The obvious hummed in his brain, even though he was still reluctant to accept that this was all really happening. What was he going to do, though? Claire was waiting for him to-

_ Claire. _

She was not very far, and ironically, the only reason he wasn’t alone was because he was worried someone might just wander upon him while he was bathing. Only he wouldn’t be bathing, and it could be Claire that walked up if he took too long because she was worried.

He nearly growled in frustration. Human ears weren’t great, but how far was she?

Jim nearly fell over. Duh, scenting. Lowering his tongue from the roof of his mouth and allowing his throat to take in more air, Jim inhaled slowly and with purpose. Instantly, he thought he could figure out her exact location and-

Mistake.

She must have re-opened her cut, because he could, once again, smell it. Like before, his body became warm and frantic. Unlike before, his entire weird troll dick was out and apparently erect. Without even thinking about it, Jim wrapped a hand around himself completely and instinctively stroked as he usually would.

The sensation was so incredibly different. This time Jim did growl so deep in his throat he could feel the ground shake with him. Panting as quietly as possible, Jim leaned against the stone more heavily as he made languid movements with his hand. He was reminded that his new self was so  _ sensitive _ . It was...So  _ good _ .

Rubbing a thumb over the tip of his length, Jim gasped as it curved to settle against him. There was a small slit on the end, he could feel it. He teased himself before stroking his entire length and interrupted a moan caught in his throat.

He couldn’t stop pumping himself slowly to live in the incredible feeling, but his body wasn’t having it. Jim’s hips jutted up into his hands to meet him mid stroke, and his breathing was getting faster. 

“F-uck…” He breathed into his palm as he tilted his head left and right. The scent of Claire was still in his olfactory. Warm, beautiful, Claire.  _ Oh god, _

Jim turned from his sitting position to half laying on his knees. He was at a loss of what to do with himself, but he still rutted into his own hand with vigor. Had Claire come up in his thoughts before when he jerked it as a human being? Sure, but this… This was something else. It was primal, and in that moment he wanted her  _ so badly. _

If she was here, if she was here,  _ oh god if she were here with him so he could- nestled in her- _

Jim’s hips jerked and he gritted his teeth and bared his large fangs. His jerking movements were getting sloppy now, the idea of being inside  _ soft, warm Claire _ was too much for him. With two final thrusts Jim came. It was so strong and white hot he barely remembered to keep quiet. Every now and then, his hips jerked and Jim gasped, more sensitive than he had started as he spent himself.

Panting, Jim rested his forehead on his left forearm as he tried to take everything in.

Holy crap. Holy  _ crap _ .

Slowly, he took his hand off of his penis as he started to calm down. Opening his eyes, he looked at himself- His other new self. It was already starting to retreat back where it came. He supposed, light headed, that trolls had to be efficient at everything.

Now that he was coming back to his normal thoughts, he was uncomfortable with how vulgar his thoughts about Claire were. Was it wrong? It was definitely new, and he didn't want to overstep boundaries. Would they have sex one day?

Would she even want to, once she saw him?

Sighing, Jim picked himself up and slid into the pool with his old clothes to do exactly what he originally came for. Those thoughts could wait for another time. It didn’t take long for him to wash himself and his clothes, and he tried to do it as quickly as possible so that Claire wouldn’t have to wait longer than she needed to. 

By the time Jim was dressed in his fresh clothes, damp ones in his burlap bag, the sky was dark. Hesitantly following his nose, his body took him to where Claire was located. He saw her leaning against a tree trunk, but her arms and body were limp. 

Walking quickly to make sure she was alright, Jim relaxed as soon as he was in front of her. She had fallen asleep, carving knife in hand, staff in the other. Despite everything, Jim snorted. 

Deciding to take the knife first, Jim gently shook Claire’s shoulder to wake her. With a loud snort Claire awoke, and Jim quickly realized he should have taken her staff from her as well.

THWACK

“Yow! Claire, it’s me!” Jim held his cheek, which had already stopped hurting from the blow.

“Oh- Oh! Oh my gosh, Jim, I’m so sorry, Are you okay?” Claire was wide awake now, cradling Jim’s face in her hands. 

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Jim signed and tapped on his cheek. “Stone skin, ha.”

“Yeah, well, I’m still sorry.” Claire kissed the cheek her staff had hit. Jim watched as she observed the night sky. “Wow, what took you so long?”

Jim balked. “Um, well-“

Claire side-eyed him. “Don’t tell me you also cut yourself on a rock.”

“No, no, my uh, my clothes went down river and I had to get them and it took way longer than I thought.” Jim felt like scum for lying, but worse for what he was actually lying for.

Claire bought his story and laughed. “Maybe we should just leave the washing of clothes for a separate time and focus on bathing next time.”

Jim laughed hollowly, “Yeah, next time.”

Claire side-eyed him again. After a moment she yawned and smiled at him. “If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to take a nap before I help out with preparing for the walk tomorrow night.”

“Do you want a lift?” Jim offered.

“No, I’m-“ Claire yawned mid sentence. “You know what, I usually say no, but I think I’ll take you up on it this time.

“It’s only fair, since I made you you wait longer.” Jim gathered the bags onto his shoulders and picked Claire up bridal style.

Claire scoffed. “There are always some things you can’t help. It happens, Jim, it’s not a big deal.”

Jim pondered on this for a second. He guessed it could apply. However, he wanted to be honest with her, soon. For better or worse.

With a leap, Jim carried Claire toward the caves for the night.


End file.
